Longing
by awkwardbean03
Summary: He was isolated from the outside world and hardly received human contact, especially the physical kind that kids grew up with. Hugs. Accidental shoulder bumps with other individuals. High-fives for a job well done.


**It's fun to stay at the**

**_WHY_**

**_EM_**

**_SEA_**

**_AYE_**

**You're welcome xD.**

**Story tiiiiiiiime.**

**All I wanted to say is, *cough cough, KAGAMI LOOKED SO FLIPPING DOPE IN IKARI GOZEN.**

**Enjoy the fic!!**

**I don't own Miraculous, otherwise we would get more Adrien-Nino bro time.**

Longing.

It was a word Adrien was familiar with. He longed to have his mother back. Longed to have a proper relationship with his father. Longed for Ladybug to return his feelings. Longed to be allowed to see his friends more often. At one point, he longed for the simple pleasure of even _having_ friends.

But longing for the touch of another?

No, that was crazy talk. Everyone wanted to be hugged at some point. And that weird feeling could simply be attributed to how much he missed his mother after she up and disappeared from his life.

It had hurt. No one knew what had happened to her, and it caused a rift in his and his father's relationship.

He was isolated from the outside world and hardly received human contact, especially the physical kind that kids grew up with. Hugs. Accidental shoulder bumps with other individuals. High-fives for a job well done.

He had hardly received that before the disappearance as it was, his mother the only one to touch him on the regular. But all this stemmed solely from the fact that he missed her above all else. That's all this particular 'longing' can be associated with.

Right?

With a shake of his head, Adrien continued to run towards Collège Françoise Dupont. He had taken the liberty of enrolling in this school a month ago without his father's permission, and currently was running away from Nathalie, his father's assistant.

Right when he reached the steps, he heard her voice. Turning around, the boy started to argue and plead with the woman. Then he heard it. The sound of someone who needed help. Turning his head, he saw an elderly man on the ground, reaching for his cane.

Without thinking, Adrien ran over to help the man up. He felt the sudden urge to continue to hold onto the old man. Shrugging it off as the want to ensure the man was okay, as he was clearly several decades old, he inquired as to the wellbeing of the man. After the assurance the man was fine, he allowed Nathalie to guide him towards the limo.

When she grabbed his shoulder, the feeling of longing came back. He _wanted_ this physical connection. He _wanted_ people to touch him. But, once more, he shrugged it off. It was obviously connected to the most recent rejection on an already impossibly high stack.

That feeling would come back to haunt him once more later that day.

Meeting her had not been the _most_ romantic. Being tied up with her and hung upside down certainly wasn't his ideal first meeting. But the longing that continued to creep into his mind whenever they made contact was, once more, swiftly tucked under the carpet. He was simply excited to have made a friend, someone he wanted to be around.

Obviously…

...oOo…

Nino Lahiffe was an affectionate man. He loved his friends dearly and thought the best way to show them that was to shower them with hugs, fist bumps, and overall physical affection. His friends even went as far to nickname him "The Affection King."

Meeting Adrien had changed that.

That boy was _crazy_ affectionate. He _adored_ hugs, hugging each of his friends at least once a day. The current record for one person was seven hugs in one day. He also _loved_ fist bumps. It's how he greeted his best bud, and also how Adrien showed he was supporting Nino. The blond loved to sit close to whomever he was sat next to and had been known to drop his head on their shoulder every now and then.

The first time he did it to Marinette left her unable to speak for the rest of the day.

It almost worried Nino how needy and downright _clingy_ Adrien could be. He knew the boy had a rough home life, but this seemed a little excessive to him. It didn't seem healthy, and this was a thought that was a consistent plague to the young boy's mind.

One day, Nino wanted to bring it up to Adrien. Right before the words _hey man, why do you love affection as much as you do_ slipped from his mouth, the capped-boy glimpsed how happy the model was after their traditional fist bump greeting. Biting his tongue, Nino opted to smile right back.

If all this made Adrien happy, he sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to bring down that optimism.

No way in hell.

...oOo…

Tapping her foot, Ladybug pretended to survey the area for trouble. While akumas at night were not in the norm, working out a patrol schedule had been a way for a closer bond to form between the two. The crime rate had dropped significantly in the past couple years, so generally, they spent the time chatting, laughing, and when it was colder out, cuddling.

At the thought of cuddles, the scowl on her face deepened. Glancing around for the actual trouble she was searching for, she failed to notice a figure creep up behind her.

As arms wrapped around her torso, the heroine rolled her eyes, unable to stop the scowl from turning into a smile. "Hello, Chaton."

A purr elicited from the teen's chest. "Hello, My Lady. Fancy seeing you here."

She sighed, allowing herself a few more seconds to enjoy the warmth that radiated from the superhero behind her before succumbing to the need for answers.

"Chat, why are you so affectionate with me?"

The rumbles stopped and his arms retracted back to his body, away from her.

As regret filled her chest, Ladybug turned around and gently set her hand on his cheek, drawing his attention from his boots to her eyes.

"I'm not mad, I promise. I enjoy your cuddles, I truly do." She took a deep breath. "But it's the _level_ of affection that worries me. You always find a way to prolong every touch I give you, and I'm simply curious as to why."

Her heart dropped to her stomach as she saw conflict flash in his eyes, betraying the nonchalant aura he was attempting to give off. With a shrug, he looked to the side, breaking contact with her once more.

"I, well, whenever someone touches me, I feel this longing to be touched more. It worsens the longer I've gone without being touched, but I can't remember a time within the past couple years where it hasn't been present in my everyday life."

His statement was met with silence, which he evidently took as a prompt to continue.

"I like to be touched, I guess. I know it's weird, but the longing grows every day, as though I can't be touched enough."

When Ladybug failed to respond was more, the boy drew into himself.

"I'm sorry, you probably think I'm a creep or weird or—"

His words were cut off as he struggled to keep his balance. Ladybug had thrown herself on him, hugging him tight and refused to let him go. The purr slowly returned, eliciting a small smile from her.

Then she remembered what he had said.

With a frown, Ladybug pulled back enough to make eye contact with him.

"Chat, I think you're touched starved."

The purr left once more.

"What's that?"

Sighing, Ladybug tugged Chat until he had his head rested in her lap, her fingers tangled in his hair.

"Touch starvation is what happens when a person isn't touched enough by another human being. Touch is an action that all humans need. It's a way for their brain to calm down. But when someone has gone too long without being touched by another, their brain signals that it's time to be touched again. That's the longing you've been feeling."

Looking down, Ladybug was surprised at how well Chat was handling the news. It wasn't light, and yet he hadn't moved a muscle. Had barely reacted. They sat like this for a while, her messing with his hair, him seemingly taking the news well.

Chat sharply sat up and started to chuckle, startling her (and him).

"You know, that all makes sense now that I think about it. I mean, when I was a little kid, the only people to touch me on a regular basis were nannies and my mother, and both of those interactions were limited at best. And then as I aged, the nannies were no longer required, leaving it as solely my mother.

"Then, when I was thirteen, my mother disappeared, leaving me all alone. I was never touched in the six month period between then and running from home to attend school, which I had never done before. There was no reason to. Outside of modeling, nobody ever touched me, and at photoshoots, it was only when people were fixing the clothing or touching up makeup.

"And now, even though I have the world's most affectionate best friend, I'm still not touched regularly since my father hates hi—why are you crying?"

Unable to respond, Ladybug threw herself into Chat's arms as her tears poured and snot dripped. Unsure of what to do, Chat awkwardly sat there and pat her back in an attempt to help her calm down.

"That, that was, _what the hell_, Chat? How could you say that so, say that, say that like it didn't _mean_ anything?"

With a shrug, he looked to the side, embarrassed. "I don't know. It's the only life I've ever known, I guess."

Silence filled the air once more, neither hero willing to elaborate on the situation. As time rolled by, Ladybug felt herself grow weary. Reluctantly, she pulled herself away from Chat, stirring him from his slumber.

"Chat, it's late. We're both tired, and should sleep in our actual beds, okay?"

He groggily nodded, pulling himself up from the seated position they were in. Ladybug grabbed the yo-yo rested at her hip, but before she threw it, she looked back at the boy once more.

"Kitty? I think you should tell your friends. They sound like they'd understand and want to help you."

Swinging away, she muttered under her breath: "We _will_ help you, Chaton."

...oOo…

Walking up the stairs to school the next day, Adrien was surprised to see all of his friends waiting for him instead of solely Nino. Greeting them with a smile, Ladybug's words flashed in his mind.

"Guys, could I tell you something?"

Nino pulled Alya and Marinette into both of his sides and said: "Dude, you can tell us literally anything. We have your back, my man."

Laughing, Adrien felt his heart warm at the sight of his friends. Nino squishing the girls, a wide, innocent grin on his face. Alya smiling while elbowing her boyfriend in the ribs in an attempt to escape. Marinette flushed, but giggling all the same.

Sobering up, Adrien looked to the ground and gathered all his inner Chat Noir courage.

"I talked with someone I, uh, work with yesterday, and she helped me figure out something about myself I hadn't realized, but explains a lot."

Seeing the confusion grow on their faces, Adrien closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Basically, I'm touch starved."

The effect was almost immediate. Alya and Nino sprang on him and muttered words of apologies for them not realizing sooner, and assurances that they'd be more affectionate towards him. Marinette had stayed back—her hip cocked and a smirk on her lips—and watched the scene before her unfold.

When Alya and Nino finally drew away from the model, Marinette strutted up to him, grabbed his collar, and pulled his head down to her level. She whispered in his ear: "Good job, Chaton. See you tonight at patrol."

Kissing his cheek, Marinette sauntered away, leaving behind an ecstatic girl, a confused boy, and one dazed superhero.

_Man, I am so screwed._

-_Epilogue_-

"How did you know it was me?"

Turning around to greet the cat, Ladybug snorted before she pulled him into a hug. "You think I don't have the entire life story of my crush memorized? Maybe you don't know me as well as I thought you did."

Stiffening, Chat looked down at the red-clad girl. "I'm sorry, your _what?!?_"

**Yay!**

**I'm actually pretty happy with this story, as it's something I've been wanting to write for a while. This is just a one-shot, but I still hope you enjoyed it regardless.**

**I HAVE AN ISSUE!**

**I have a note-thing on my phone with THIRTEEN different stories I want to write!! AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CHOOSE NEXT!! AH!**

**Okay, now that we've got one of my, many, issues out of the way, here's a random fact about me: I speak German, and I'll be going into my 5th year learning it this August.**

**Y E E T.**

**I hope you enjoyed my writing! Check out Tainted, as I've only got one more chapter before I've completed that work!!**

**I hope you lovelies have an amazing day, and see you all in the next fic!!**


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